Several Nigerian fans are left stranded in Russia, after falling prey to a world cup scam.

@France24

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Some Nigerians told AFP they used the official Fan IDs to come to Russia with the promise of finding work or even playing professional football themselves.Ee 703x422

Fraudsters have tricked scores of Nigerians by selling them football World Cup fan passes to travel to Russia, leaving many stranded and penniless, victims and anti-trafficking campaigners say.

Some Nigerians told AFP they used the official Fan IDs to come to Russia with the promise of finding work or even playing professional football themselves.

Others said they came to watch World Cup matches but got stranded when their return plane tickets were cancelled by bogus travel agencies that booked them.

Ismail Olamilekan, 21, and his brother Sodiq, 25, said they paid 250,000 naira (600 euros, $700) each to a man in Lagos for their Fan IDs.

"The man told us that with the Fan ID we could get a job and stay here," Ismail told AFP at a hostel on the outskirts of Moscow.

"But when we got here we discovered that it was a fraud, that he had just collected the money and lied to us."

- 'Football career' -

The plastic-coated passes issued by the Russian government enable foreign fans to enter the country without a visa during the World Cup -- but they expire before the end of July.

They are issued free to fans who have bought tickets for World Cup matches. But some agents sold them to Nigerians who wanted to come to Russia to work.

It was not clear how the bogus agents obtained the Fan IDs that they sold.

A FIFA spokesman stressed that the Fan IDs system was implemented by the Russian communications ministry.

FIFA "continues to make efforts to identify and curb unauthorised ticket sales", he added.

The Olamilekan brothers spent about a thousand dollars each for their plane fare to Moscow, on top of what they paid separately to the agent.

"In Nigeria I play football. He told me that if I started working I can also start a (football) career in Russia," Ismail Olamilekan said.

- Nigerians 'stranded' -

A fellow Muslim was allowing the brothers to sleep in his hostel until their return flight on July 22.

Other Nigerians however found themselves stranded in Russia after fraudulent "agents" who booked return flights for them then cancelled the bookings to get a refund.

A group of about a dozen Nigerians waiting at Moscow's Vnukovo airport on Tuesday told AFP they had been sleeping there for days.

Some of them said they paid more than a million naira each to an agent for a package including flights, match tickets and a fan ID.

"We've been sleeping on the floor like fools. We've got no place to go," said Alonge Ademola, 35, a cement dealer from Lagos.

"We really do want to go back to our country. We've cried, we've wept, but still no solution."

Russian charity Alternativa said it had helped about 50 Nigerians stranded in Russia and estimated there were about 200 in difficulty overall.

"With globalisation the opportunities for criminals are also increasing. The Fan IDs make an extremely profitable business for them," said the group's spokeswoman, Yulia Siluyanova.

- 'Natural' problem -

Siluyanova told AFP on Thursday that the authorities in cooperation with Alternativa had made arrangements for about 20 stranded Nigerians to be flown back home.

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a news briefing that the issue of stranded fans was "not desirable but it's also natural".

"It's really a problem that primarily the fans themselves should resolve along with diplomatic and consular missions of their countries," she said.

The Nigerian embassy did not respond to requests for comment.

"You can't rule out that some of the foreign guests, taking advantage of visiting the World Cup, are counting in some way or another, usually illegally, on crossing the Russian border and entering one of the European countries," Zakharova said.

"If such an action is recognised as illegal, the relevant authorities will take the necessary administrative measures."

- Lesson learnt -

The Olamilekan brothers meanwhile are waiting to board the return flights that they bought with money their parents borrowed.

"We don't have any option but to go back home and work and pay our parents' debts," Ismail said.

"I spoke to them last night. They asked if we've got a job and if we're living well and I decided to tell them yes. I don't like lying to my parents," he said.

It appears that young Nigerians are desperate and such manipulations are commonplace. It is unfortunate that many are not well aware of the global community and immigration. Some of us are fortunate to have the means of learning about the world.

They called something a FAN ID and you believed when someone told you that you can work with it. They deserved to be given the CHINA TREATMENT where you work hard-labor for your ticket before getting deported!

_________________I keep paraphrasing David Frum in Trumpocracy: if conservatives can't win elections democratically, they will not abandon conservatism. They will reject democracy.

It appears that young Nigerians are desperate and such manipulations are commonplace. It is unfortunate that many are not well aware of the global community and immigration.Some of us are fortunate to have the means of learning about the world.

The highlighted says it all.

Nothing beats being well informed, and you don't have to go to school to be.At least, these guys ended up in Russia as opposed to being caught north of the Sahara desert.

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One of my distance cousin called me one time and asked me to advice him on going to KAZAKHSTAN to study because someone is helping him with visa. I said KAZA-WHATY? are you crazy. But here is the funny part. He asked isn't that in south America near US ?

"It depends on what the meaning of the word 'is' is. If the--if he--if 'is' means is and never has been, that is not--that is one thing. If it means there is none, that was a completely true statement....Now, if someone had asked me on that day, are you having any kind of sexual relations with Ms. Lewinsky, that is, asked me a question in the present tense, I would have said no. And it would have been completely true."

Last edited by jette1 on Sun Jul 15, 2018 2:28 am, edited 2 times in total.

One of my distance cousin called me one time and asked me to advice him on going to KAZAKHSTAN to study because someone is helping him with visa. I said KAZA-WHATY? are you crazy. But here is the funny part. He asked isn't that in south America new US ?

na so all these mugu they leave nyash open

There you go. It is what i mentioned earlier. Nigerians are generally not worldly people. Even those with money are not very informed. They travel so they can brag on social media and show off to friends but, quite honestly, they return without knowing much about the culture or some sort of immersion into natural beauty.

Those who are desperate are just rolling the dice with anywhere better pass Naija.

I used to work for an IGO which would hold conferences all over Africa. Year in and year out we would get more than 50 registrations from Nigerians with no remotely related professional background. They would sign up for conferences as a means to get visa to check out. Very embarrassing.

But it mirrors the real world tragedy of Nigerian economic collapse initiated by the Buhari administration. Many Nigerians are now running in droves just like in the 90s when Nigeria lost half it's university lecturers to other countries. I knew one high level banker who resigned, sold all her stuff and moved to Canada with her family. Another doctor I know through a friend quit and is now in the Usa.

It appears that young Nigerians are desperate and such manipulations are commonplace. It is unfortunate that many are not well aware of the global community and immigration.Some of us are fortunate to have the means of learning about the world.

The highlighted says it all.

Nothing beats being well informed, and you don't have to go to school to be.At least, these guys ended up in Russia as opposed to being caught north of the Sahara desert.

They refuse to be well informed. If you try to tell them the truth they call you a hater. They all use the internet and there is more than enough information there but all they see are the "riches" abroad.

One of my distance cousin called me one time and asked me to advice him on going to KAZAKHSTAN to study because someone is helping him with visa. I said KAZA-WHATY? are you crazy. But here is the funny part. He asked isn't that in south America near US ?

na so all these mugu they leave nyash open

You are saying the truth .....the highlighted is proof that BLOOD DOES NOT LIE.

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One of my distance cousin called me one time and asked me to advice him on going to KAZAKHSTAN to study because someone is helping him with visa. I said KAZA-WHATY? are you crazy. But here is the funny part. He asked isn't that in south America new US ?

na so all these mugu they leave nyash open

There you go. It is what i mentioned earlier. Nigerians are generally not worldly people. Even those with money are not very informed. They travel so they can brag on social media and show off to friends but, quite honestly, they return without knowing much about the culture or some sort of immersion into natural beauty.

Those who are desperate are just rolling the dice with anywhere better pass Naija.

I doubt ignorance is the issue. Yes you do have the few who were misled but I believe most are those willing to take the gamble and they are aware of the consequences.

We generally have 'confidence' that we can always get away with anything. We take the 'Can Do Spirit' to the extreme. We have 'faith' that we will 'escape' the damning consequence of our actions. Some of those people are serial deportees

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